Agenda of Regional Transport Committee

Regional Transport Committee

Membership

Chairperson (BOPRC)	Cr Lyall Thurston
Deputy Chairperson (BOPRC)	Cr Ken Shirley Cr Andrew von Dadelszen (Alternate)
Members
Kawerau District Council	Mayor Faylene Tunui Cr Berice Julian (Alternate)
Ōpōtiki District Council	Mayor David Moore Cr Steve Nelson (Alternate)
Rotorua Lakes Council	Mayor Tania Tapsell Cr Conan O’Brien (Alternate)
Tauranga City Council	Commissioner Anne Tolley Commissioner Stephen Selwood (Alternate)
Western Bay of Plenty District Council	Mayor James Denyer Deputy Mayor John Scrimgeour (Alternate)
Whakatāne District Council	Mayor Victor Luca Deputy Mayor Lesley Immink (alternate)
External Members
New Zealand Transport Agency Alternate member to be nominated by NZTA appointed member	David Speirs Jessica Andrew (Alternate)
External Members (non-voting)
KiwiRail	Angus Hodgson Helen Rogers (Alternate)
External Advisors (non-voting)
Environmental Sustainability Advisor	Glen Crowther
Freight Advisor	To be appointed
Road Safety Advisor	Inspector Stuart Nightingale – Roading Police Manager
Port Advisor	Dan Kneebone – Property and Infrastructure Manager
New Zealand Automobile Association	Stacey Spall
Quorum	Five members, consisting of more than half the number of members
Frequency	Quarterly

Purpose

Section 105(1) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 requires every regional council to establish a Regional Transport Committee for its region.

Role

· Prepare a regional land transport plan, or any significant variation to the plan, for the approval of the Regional Council.

· Approve any non-significant variation to the regional land transport plan.

· Adopt a policy that determines significance in respect of:

§ variations made to regional land transport plans under section 18D of the Land Transport Management Act 2003; and

§ the activities that are included in the regional land transport plan under section 16 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003.

· Monitor implementation of the regional land transport plan.

· Make recommendations in support of land transport activities that are eligible for national funding and align with the regional land transport plan.

· Consolidate individual road controlling, authority (RCA) speed management plans and prepare the regional speed management plan in accordance with the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022.

· Co-ordinate, integrate and adopt regional transport and land-use strategies and plans.

· Provide advocacy on strategic regional and inter-regional transport matters to Central Government and other key stakeholders as appropriate.

· Provide the Regional Council with any advice and assistance the Regional Council may request in relation to its transport responsibilities.

· Approve submissions to Central Government, local authorities and other agencies on Regional Transport Committee matters.

· Monitor and provide advocacy on regional road safety matters.

Committee Procedures

· Membership consists of two representatives of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the Mayor of each territorial authority in the region and a representative of the New Zealand Transport Agency.

· In the case of an equality of votes, the chair, or any other person presiding the meeting does not have a casting vote (and therefore the act or question is defeated and the status quo is preserved).

· The Regional Transport Committee may appoint external advisors to assist it in the exercise of its specific responsibilities and delegated authority. For the purposes of clarity, external advisors may be given full speaking rights at the discretion of the committee, but are not entitled to vote on committee matters.

· Under the Local Government Act 2002, the Regional Transport Committee is not defined as a joint committee however, the provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 concerning the meetings of committees of regional councils, so far as they are applicable and with the necessary modifications, apply in respect of meetings of the Regional Transport Committee.

Power to Act

To make all decisions necessary to fulfil the role and scope of the committee subject to the limitations imposed.

Power to Recommend

The Regional Transport Committee recommends and reports to the Regional Council.

Recording of Meetings

Please note the Public section of this meeting is being recorded and streamed live on Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s website in accordance with Council's Live Streaming and Recording of Meetings Protocols which can be viewed on Council’s website. The recording will be archived and made publicly available on Council's website within two working days after the meeting on www.boprc.govt.nz for a period of three years (or as otherwise agreed to by Council).

All care is taken to maintain your privacy; however, as a visitor in the public gallery or as a participant at the meeting, your presence may be recorded. By remaining in the public gallery, it is understood your consent is given if your image is inadvertently broadcast.

Opinions expressed or statements made by individual persons during a meeting are not the opinions or statements of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Council accepts no liability for any opinions or statements made during a meeting.

Regional Transport Committee Minutes

19 September 2022

Regional Transport Committee

Open Minutes

Commencing: Monday 19 September 2022, 9.30 am

Venue: Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga and via Zoom (Audio Visual Meeting)

Chairperson: Cr Lyall Thurston - Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC)

Deputy Chairperson: Cr Jane Nees - BOPRC

Members: Mayor Malcolm Campbell - Kawerau District Council, Deputy Mayor Faylene Tunui – Alternate, Kawerau District Council, Mayor Steve Chadwick - Rotorua Lakes Council (via Zoom), Cr Norm Bruning – Alternate, BOPRC, Mayor Lyn Riesterer - Ōpōtiki District Council, Cr David Moore – Alternate, Ōpōtiki District Council (via Zoom), Mayor Garry Webber - Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Mayor Judy Turner - Whakatāne District Council, Commissioner Stephen Selwood – Alternate, Tauranga City Council (via Zoom), David Speirs - Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

In Attendance: Cr Andrew von Dadelszen – BOPRC, Namouta Poutasi – General Manager, Strategy and Science, Stacey Spall – New Zealand Automobile Association Advisor, Glen Crowther – Environmental Sustainability Advisor, Greg Campbell – Acting Transport Director, Lorraine Cheyne – Team Leader, Transport and Urban Strategy, Presenters – as listed in the minutes, Amanda Namana – Committee Advisor

Apologies: Deputy Mayor David Donaldson - Alternate, Rotorua Lakes Council, Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles - Alternate, Whakatāne District Council, Commissioner Anne Tolley – Commission Chair, Tauranga City Council, Brent Crowe – NZ Police Road Safety Advisor; Dan Kneebone – Port of Tauranga Advisor

The Committee stood to observe two minutes of silence in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

1. Apologies

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Accepts the apologies from Deputy Mayor Donaldson, Deputy Mayor Iles, Commissioner Tolley, Brent Crowe and Dan Kneebone tendered at the meeting.

Thurston/Nees

CARRIED

2. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

3. Minutes

Minutes to be Confirmed

3.1

Regional Transport Committee Minutes - 19 May 2022

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Confirms the Regional Transport Committee Minutes - 19 May 2022 as a true and correct record.

Nees/Riesterer

CARRIED

4. Reports

4.1

Chairperson's Report

Tabled Document 1 - Transport Funding Review Remit letter to Minister Wood: Objective ID A4214037

Acting Transport Director Greg Campbell and Team Leader, Transport and Urban Strategy Lorraine Cheyne presented this item.

Key Points:

· Chair Cr Thurston introduced Tabled Document 1 – a letter sent from Local Government New Zealand to Minister Wood on behalf of Mayors and Regional Transport Chairs requesting an independent review of government transport funding in the next 12 months

· Noted a correction to the table on Page 24 of the agenda in relation to Mode Shift Plans: Western Bay should read Eastern Bay.

Key Points - Members:

· Requested that Waka Kotahi provide advice to Regional Transport Committees on the appropriate way to deal with different classes of projects during the formulation of a Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP)

· Supported an orientation/workshop of all incoming members of the Regional Transport Committee in the new triennium (prior to a review) to support the development of the next RLTP, provide background and establish how best to work together going forward

· Requested further consultation from Waka Kotahi when designing road safety solutions to inform local knowledge into the design stages, including Whakatāne District Council road safety team, local police and residents who were affected by the solutions

· Median safety barriers installed on State Highway 2 had shown a marked reduction in accidents causing death and serious injury.

David Speirs – Waka Kotahi In Response to Questions:

· There would be a review of the RLTP process for which learnings would inform the next RLTP. Ideally investment advisors would be involved early in the process to discuss the multiplicity of different funding systems which funded transport investment (not only the RLTP), followed by a risk management conversation

· Waka Kotahi had prepared a briefing for incoming councillors following elections which would cover how the network was funded and the role of Mayors/Councillors, followed by a workshop specific to the Regional Transport Committee. KiwiRail supported this initiative and were interested in presenting relevant matters to developing the RLTP with Waka Kotahi.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

Webber/Turner

CARRIED

4.2

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Quarterly Update - September 2022

Presentation: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Quarterly Update: Objective ID A4209617

Director Regional Relationships David Speirs presented this item.

Key Points:

· Provided an overview of the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) and the three focus areas which guided how the sector would reduce transport emissions

· Waka Kotahi were awaiting advice from Minister Wood on how to reflect the ERP in investment decisions for the remainder of the 2021-24 National Land Transport Fund (NLTP), although this would not affect investments already underway

· The Asset Management Data Standard had started being rolled out and would help to better manage and plan the development of roading infrastructure

· Waka Kotahi sustainability standard (Taumata Taiao) had been updated

· Safety camera expansion and transfer from NZ Police was underway, which also included a new infringement process system

· The One Network Framework would influence investment decisions for the next RLTP

· Highlighted driver licensing improvements, including innovative solutions to accessing disadvantaged communities

· Four applicants had been selected for co-investment in new and enhanced coastal shipping services and up to 35 million kilometres of truck travel every year could be reduced through this investment alone

· Safe System audit guidelines were a more consistent approach and expected to be released by the end of September 2022

· Provided an update on major Bay of Plenty projects and the 2022/23 Bay of Plenty Maintenance programme

· Noted that improvements were not currently included in maintenance work, which Waka Kotahi were discussing with Ministry of Transport as part of the funding review.

Key Points - Members:

· Rubbish in lakes, drains and waterways of the region was a concern. Acknowledged members of the public that were frequently seen collecting rubbish from the side of the road

· Suggested working with Territorial Local Authorities (TLA’s) to ensure best use of information safety cameras provided e.g. dumping of rubbish and other infringements. Councils working toward installing CCTV cameras needed to understand the capability of safety cameras so that the gathering of information was not doubled up

· Rotorua had a community safety initiative to share forensic evidence from safety cameras, rather than seeing them as a solely speed management process

· The funding assistance rate (FAR) would not enable local government to bring the standard of roads up to the one network classification within the required timeframe

· Suggested Waka Kotahi work together with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs and the Ministry for Social Development in improving driver licensing, particularly in rural areas

· Expressed ongoing concern over the condition of Peketahi Bridge

· The spend was reflected by the deterioration of roads from the increase of freight and the size and weight of trucks.

In Response to Questions:

· Supported including eradication of gorse as well as planting in long term maintenance plans

· Part of the operations and maintenance contracts included dealing with rubbish and general appearance along roads and these contracts were undergoing a review. The scale of recent events had caused reprioritisation of this work

· Aimed to have approximately 800 cameras nationally once the network was at capacity - some in assigned locations and some that were mobile

· Work was underway to identify optimal sites e.g. high risk corridors for speed, poor driver behaviour, merging, high accident areas at roundabouts, seatbelts and cellphone use – NZ Police and road safety authorities would be consulted on this

· Clarified that the safety camera expansion and transfer was a Waka Kotahi investment

· An investment decision could not be made until the scale and scope was understood, and the standard the investment decision desired to achieve

· The One Network Framework accounted for the context of a place (recognising both function and form), and would also clearly steer asset management decisions

· Highlighted the criticality of the Eastgate intersection to Rotorua

· The challenge of getting a second bridge over the Whakatāne River funded through the next NLTP was that it needed to be supported by sound spatial planning

· Waka Kotahi would be looking at all bridges in the network that had wooden decks, although a balance needed to be found between maintenance and capital costs.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

· Waka Kotahi to advise how coastal shipping emissions would be managed in relation to emissions reduction targets, particularly with regard to international shipping.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Quarterly Update - September 2022.

Speirs/Turner

CARRIED

10.42 am – The meeting adjourned.

10.58 am – The meeting reconvened.

5. Presentations

5.1

KiwiRail: Rail Network Investment Programme Year 1

Presentation: Rail Network Investment Programme Year 1: Objective ID A4214082

Acting Group Manager – Government Policy and Funding Angus Hodgson presented this item.

Key Points:

· Provided an outline of the NZ Rail Plan and Rail Network Investment Programme (RNIP)

· Highlighted how the RNIP fit into transport planning and the Government Policy Statement (GPS). As the NZ Rail Plan was updated it would be more responsive to RLTP’s

· The RNIP was funded through two National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) Activity Classes – the Rail Network Activity Class and the Public Transport Infrastructure Activity Class

· Noted the significance of the funding of renewals in the initial phase of RNIP

· There was strong delivery in year one of the RNIP, despite disruptions

· Outlined what was delivered in the North Island and in the Bay of Plenty and the KPIs and Year 1 targets from Central North Island

· Next steps in planning over 2022/23 and 2023/24

· The renewal of core infrastructure underpinned every rail operations

· Highlighted key projects in the East Coast Main Trunk.

Key Points - Members:

· Agreed that heavy investment needed to move from road into rail

· Noted that Rotorua was not connected by the Rail Network)

· Carbon pricing was a critical aspect and did not currently look at total costing – the amount of embedded carbon in the roading/rail networks and maintenance programmes must be factored in or outcomes may become distorted

· Considered there was inconsistency in emissions reduction targets between major aspects of the transport system.

In Response to Questions:

· Track User Charges were a nominal fee set and spread across all KiwiRail customers for which people were receiving an improved network with better reliability

· The level of investment and the amount of work possible within the three year programme needed to be focused on raising the standard before undertaking work on growth

· Funding requests for the rail network should be put it through the RNIP rather than other funds

· Following the 2023 business case on fleet decarbonisation, KiwiRail would provide a briefing on progress to the committee

· Electrification was an emissions and preferred technologies consideration, rather than a consideration of capacity on the network

· KiwiRail did not have a voice in decision-making on Light Rail investments

· There were other options to full electrification e.g. tri-mode which would require only partial electrification. The timing for this needed to happen before purchasing the locomotive, and needed to be staged e.g. Kaimai Tunnel

· Train drivers did not need masks for CO2 when they were at the front of the locomotive as the diesel was behind them

· New technology approaches were being channelled through the indicative business case on fleet decarbonisation including magnetic and hydrogen options. High speed rail needed considerable improvement to the network to make it viable and achieve long straight tracks which did not currently exist.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the presentation, KiwiRail: Rail Network Investment Programme Year 1.

Webber/Riesterer

CARRIED

Decisions Required

5.2

Regional Land Transport Plan - Variations

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Regional Land Transport Plan - Variations

2 Approves the following two variations to the Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-31:

(a) Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan programme management; and

(b) Urban Form and Transport Initiative monitoring framework.

3 Notes that neither of the proposed variations trigger the Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-31 significance policy and both variations can be classified as non-significant for the purpose of consultation.

Webber/Nees

CARRIED

5.3

Final Eastern Districts and Rotorua Lakes District Travel Demand Management Programme Scoping Studies

Senior Transport Planner Andrew Williams presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

· Requested amendment to the data on Page 143 of the agenda – update population for Ōpōtiki as the report used outdated population statistics and the district now recorded a population of 10,300.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Final Eastern Districts and Rotorua Lakes District Travel Demand Management Programme Scoping Studies;

2 Endorses the final Eastern Districts and Rotorua Lake District Travel Demand Management Programme Scoping Studies; and

3 Notes the changes made to the draft Scoping Studies, as requested by the Committee at its 19 May 2022 meeting.

Thurston/Chadwick

CARRIED

5.4

Reshaping Streets

Senior Transport Planner Matthew Kilpatrick presented this item.

Key Points:

· Outlined two revisions:

o In the table on Page 218 of the agenda change Rotorua Lakes Council from ‘no comment’ to ‘yes’

o Remove the final sentence of the submission letter on Page 223 of the agenda ‘Please find our comments below, we trust you find them constructive’.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Reshaping Streets;

2 Endorses the report and attached submission providing general support for Waka Kotahi’s ‘Reshaping Streets’.

Webber/Nees

CARRIED

Information Only

5.5

Regional Land Transport Plan - Implementation Report

Acting Transport Director Greg Campbell and Senior Transport Planner Andrew Williams presented this item.

In Response to Questions:

· Resourcing for delivering the projects in the RLTP within given timeframes was challenging and staff aimed to be pragmatic with existing resources - additional resourcing was being sought where required.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

· Respond to the Committee via email with details on the timing and sequencing of some of the activities in the RLTP and Transport Systems Plan (TSP) - in particular provide clarity on the Arataki area accessibility and placemaking project, and the Totara St Multimodal Improvements project.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Regional Land Transport Plan - Implementation Report.

Thurston/Nees

CARRIED

5.6

Regional Speed Management Rule, 2022: Regional Speed Management Plan

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Regional Speed Management Rule, 2022: Regional Speed Management Plan.

Thurston/Campbell

CARRIED

5.7

Regional Spatial Planning

Principal Advisor – Strategic Planning Adam Fort presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

· Noted that other legislative changes to the Land Transport Management Act (LTMA) would potentially affect how the work of the Committee integrated with the Regional Spatial Plan

· Attention needed to be paid to all the moving parts, as well as the provisions of the Spatial Planning Act to establish how it would all fit together and work for the region

· Considered this an important piece of reform work that held significance for the region

· KiwiRail suggested a future conversation be held if the Committee considered putting forward a submission through the Select Committee process.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Regional Spatial Planning.

Webber/Selwood

CARRIED

5.8

Overview of the Emission Reduction Plan (ERP) - Transport Implications

Team Leader – Transport and Urban Strategy Lorraine Cheyne and Senior Planner Climate Change Jane Palmer (via Zoom) presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

· Whakatāne District were undertaking good work in this area and would like to see this fed into the regional transport emissions reduction work.

Resolved

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Overview of the Emission Reduction Plan (ERP) - Transport Implications.

Thurston/Nees

CARRIED

Verbal Update Opportunity from Committee Members and Advisors

Tabled Document 2 - Drug Driving Introduction commencing March 2023: Objective ID A4214064

Brent Crowe – NZ Police Advisor (not present):

· Brent Crowe – NZ Police Road Safety Advisor was unable to attend the meeting but provided a presentation to table, introducing members to the drug driving campaign that would commence in March 2023.

Mayor Steve Chadwick – Rotorua Lakes Council:

· Had enjoyed the work of the Committee, the regional thinking and setting priorities together, however expressed frustration for communities in the eastern arterial over the partial investment of projects in the area

· Appreciated the presence of Waka Kotahi and KiwiRail on the Committee and the collaborative thinking this would provide for the future

· Looked forward to seeing locally-led projects, regionally supported and nationally funded.

Mayor Lyn Riesterer – Ōpōtiki District Council:

· Commended the recent State Highway (SH) 35 failure response as being well co-ordinated by Civil Defence and Waka Kotahi

· SH35 and SH2 resilience proposal – considered that Waka Kotahi policy needed to be reviewed on the state highway networks where the numbers did not support the investment required. Part of this was reflected in the priorities of the RLTP

· Confirmation of the speed review was positive but would like further information on the timing. Communities living near state highways were not being involved early enough in consultation

· Overall condition of state highways in terms of ride quality and safety was poor, would also like to see state highway pavements and footpath renewal in the Ōpōtiki District

· Transport Management Plans were being well implemented, however alternating speed limits outside of Kutarere and at Snells Road provided confusion to travellers trying to adhere to them

· Ōhiwa Beach Road/Waiotahe back road/SH2 upgrade - would like to include a provision for a cycle bridge to address safety issues

· Commended the meetings with Minister Wood that the Committee had achieved and the positive outcomes for the region.

Mayor Malcolm Campbell – Kawerau District Council:

· Noted that 60% of the region was in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and subject to many heavy traffic movements, causing stress on roading infrastructure

· Agreed upon the positive presence of KiwiRail and Waka Kotahi on the Committee and commended the work of staff

· Considered highlights should be better celebrated along with addressing significant issues

· Supported Community Boards having greater involvement as their localised knowledge was important and the unique information they gained

· Populations in the Eastern Bay would continue to grow, and spatial planning was crucial to support this.

Commissioner Stephen Selwood – Tauranga City Council:

· Acknowledged the contribution of all members of the Committee and the challenges going forward, as well as the successes of the Committee to date

· Noted future challenges around collaboration required in achieving a Regional Spatial Plan and the wider debate around how to fund and deliver this.

Glen Crowther – Environmental Sustainability Advisor:

· Reflected upon the status of the environment in transport planning at the beginning of the triennium compared to where it sat now

· Observed increasing tension from communities in the region from a misalignment between their understanding in some areas and that of local government

· How to achieve sufficient community engagement on Reshaping Streets may be a key issue for many people

· There were accessibility concerns from the disability and ageing sectors around bus stop options where buses could stop in the road to collect passengers

· Environmental policy goals also needed to be sustainable.

Mayor Garry Webber – Western Bay of Plenty District Council:

· Highlighted the following achievements:

o Minden Lifestyle Zone and the houses that would be built once the Takitimu Northern Link was completed

o Name change of the Tauranga Northern Link to the Takitimu Northern Link

o Ōmōkoroa roundabout

· Having KiwiRail and Waka Kotahi on the Committee would enhance strategic thinking and performance management

· Project management of the RLTP was fundamental and monitoring of projects a crucial component

· Business cases needed to be focused around scope.

Angus Hodgson - KiwiRail

· It had been one year since KiwiRail had been gazetted as a member of the Committee and valued the role and criticality to the transport planning process.

Cr Jane Nees – BOPRC

· Noted that the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan Hearings Subcommittee had some common members with the Regional Transport Committee which was beneficial from a public transport planning perspective

· Work was underway on initial phases of the bus decarbonisation feasibility study

· A regional risk assessment was being undertaken by Tonkin and Taylor, which would be an important consideration for the next RLTP and the Regional Spatial Plan.

12.25 pm – the meeting closed.

Confirmed 7 oCTOBER 2022

Cr Lyall Thurston

Chairperson, Regional Transport Committee

Fiona McTavish

Chief Executive – Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana



Report To:	Regional Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	9 March 2023
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne

Chairperson's Report

Executive Summary

This report provides an update on matters of potential interest to RTC members:

· National and Sub-national VKT Reduction Targets

· Update on the Bay of Plenty Transport Emission Reduction Plan/Pathway (TERP)

· Sub regional Road Safety update (attachment)

Recommendations

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this report is to provide RTC members with a summary of topical matters of potential interest in relation to regional transport planning.

2. Matters of Potential Interest

2.1 Update on the Bay of Plenty Transport Emission Reduction Plan/Pathway (TERP)

Work is continuing to better understand the policy landscape within which the TERP exists. With a wide range of activities and national interventions introduced in the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP), the focus of the TERP will need to shift to compliment these plans.

The value of the TERP will be delivered through bridging existing gaps at a regional level and translating what that might mean for our smaller urban centres and rural communities across the Bay of Plenty. Stakeholder conversations have begun at the Regional Advisory Group (RAG) to understand the best value proposition to take the TERP forward.

A key aspect of the ERP is the introduction of Vehicle Kilometers Travelled (VKT) targets. Waka Kotahi has been tasked to:

1. Develop a national VKT reduction plan to ensure nationally led activities align with the pace and scale of VKT reduction and mode shift required. Due mid – 2023.

2. Develop VKT reduction programmes for New Zealand’s major urban environments (Tier 1 and 2) in partnership with local government, Māori and community representatives.

Producing a VKT reduction programme will help us understand the scale of work, timing, interdependencies and the cost of activities needed to reduce VKT in line with the sub-national targets. A VKT reduction programme will include interventions across the system – land use/transport/behaviour change/travel demand management and more. Further details around these targets are included in Section 2.2.

The programmes will be developed as a partnership in each Tier 1 and 2 urban area –Councils, Waka Kotahi, Māori and community representatives. Waka Kotahi have indicated they intend to work through existing planning structures, primarily existing Urban Growth Agenda (UGA) partnerships.

Waka Kotahi will undertake targeted consultation on the draft national VKT reduction plan in March 2023. A submission on the RTC’s behalf is planned.

All Tier 1 areas are expected to complete a VKT reduction programme - Expression of Interest (EOI) by the end of March 2023. For the Tauranga urban area this means one joint application submitted by the end of March. Expression of interest for Tier 2 areas (Rotorua) are due to open later this year, around September 2023. It has been indicated that funding will be available to support programme development.

Tier 1 plans are due end of 2023 Tier 2 plans are due end of 2024. The RTC will be kept up to date on progress on the VKT reduction programmes as work progresses.

2.2 National and Sub-national VKT Reduction Targets

Questions were raised at the 3 February Regional Transport Committee briefing on the exact implications for the region of the national and sub-national Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKT) reduction targets that have recently been developed by the Ministry of Transport. The following provides a brief explanation of the targets.

The New Zealand Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP), published in May 2022, includes a target that New Zealand reduce national light fleet VKT by 20% by 2035. This target is compared to a baseline projection for 2035.

The 20% reduction in VKT by 2035 is a 20% reduction in VKT compared to what we would otherwise expect 2035 VKT to be without intervention (this accounts for projected economic and population growth). This is approximately a 1% real reduction from 2019 levels.

To support achieving this target, the Ministry of Transport has been developing sub-national VKT reduction targets for New Zealand’s Tier 1 (includes Tauranga/WBOP) and Tier 2 (includes Rotorua) urban areas. This is on the basis that these urban areas should have more levers available to them to reduce light vehicle VKT e.g. land use intensification, public transport provision and pricing signals.

A specific sub-national light fleet VKT target is not being developed for districts in the region outside the designated Tier 1 and Tier 2 urban areas i.e. Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Kawerau districts. This does not imply there is not an imperative to reduce light vehicle VKT in these districts (see below).

Figure 1 shows the implications of the sub-national targets for Tier 1 and Tier 2 urban areas. For Tauranga/WBOP this means a 1% real increase in 2019 light fleet VKT by 2035, or a 21% reduction in the projected VKT in 2035. For Rotorua, reading from the graph, the figures appear to be 1% real increase and 12% reduction on the 2035 projection respectively. Similarly the expectation for the rest of New Zealand (which presumably includes Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki and Kawerau) appears to be a 10% real increase in light fleet VKT from 2019 levels, translating to a 5% reduction on projected 2035 VKT. In May the Government released its Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) and with that signalled the requirement for sub-regional Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKT) targets.

Figure 1: Light fleet VKT percentage change comparisons

Source: Ministry of Transport

The following diagram shows the most recent communications from the Ministry of Transport on the timeline for developing the sub-national targets. The proposed targets are still provisional and are expected to be confirmed by Cabinet early this year. Central government is also proposing to develop a national VKT reduction plan to inform the individual VKT programmes that are to be developed for Tier 1 and Tier 2 urban areas.

2.3 Sub regional Road Safety update (attachment)

Each of the sub regional road safety clusters work with various road safety partners to deliver programmes targeting road safety issues. Attachment 1 includes an update on progress in each area.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Regional Road Safety Report ⇩



Report To:	Regional Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	9 March 2023
Report Writer:	Katri Harmoinen, Transport Planner
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To seek endorsement of the vision, objectives, principles, and measures developed for the Bay of Plenty’s Regional Speed Management Plan.

Bay of Plenty Regional Speed Management Plan - Agreed Vision, Objectives, Principles and Measures

Executive Summary

This report provides an update on the development of a Regional Speed Management Plan (RSMP) for the Bay of Plenty. This is a requirement under the new Rule ‘Setting of Speed Limits 2022’ (the Rule) that came into effect in May 2022.

This report presents the agreed vision, objectives, principles, and measures for the Bay of Plenty RSMP. These have been workshopped with all the Bay of Plenty Road Controlling Authorities and endorsed by the Regional Advisory Group

Staff are seeking the RTC’s endorsement of the vision, objectives, principles, and measures set out in this report

Recommendations

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Bay of Plenty Regional Speed Management Plan - Agreed Vision, Objectives, Principles and Measures;

2 Endorses the Bay of Plenty Regional Speed Management Plan’s vision, objectives, principles and measures as outlined in this report.

1. Background

Analysis undertaken by Waka Kotahi has indicated that 87 percent of speed limits on New Zealand roads are higher than is safe^{^[1]}. Speed is a major contributing factor in the severity of a crash; it affects a driver’s ability to react to the situation, and increases the injuries sustained. Regardless of the cause of a crash, speed is the difference between someone being unharmed or being seriously injured or killed. In 2022, 378 people were killed on NZ roads, an increase of 18% from the previous year^{^[2]}.

Speed management planning is underpinned by the safe system approach which works on the principle that when people do make mistakes, it is not acceptable for anyone to be killed or seriously injured. These principles are enshrined in the governments Road to Zero strategy and the changes to the land Transport rule regarding the setting of speed limits.

The new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 (the Rule) came into effect in May 2022^{^[3]}. It replaces the old Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017, which required speed limits to be set through bylaws.

The Rule requires Road Controlling Authorities (RCAs) and the RTC to prepare a Regional Speed Management Plan (RSMP) to establish a 10-year vision and three-year action plan to implement safe and appropriate speed limits and associated speed management activities.

Section 2 of this report documents the proposed vision, objectives, principles, and measures for the Bay of Plenty RSMP, and seeks the RTC’s endorsement.

A report outlining the RSMP requirements and development process was presented to the RTC on 19 September 2022. The key elements of this report have been included in Attachment 1 for further context.

2. For the RTC’s endorsement: Agreed vision, objective, principles, and measures

This section introduces the proposed vision, objective, principles, and measures for the RSMP, on which staff are seeking the RTC’s endorsement. These have been workshopped with partners and endorsed by the Regional Advisory Group (RAG).

2.1 Proposed vision and objective

The vision for the Bay of Plenty is a transport system that is sustainable, resilient, efficient and enables safe and multimodal access that meet the needs of our diverse, growing communities and regional economy (RLTP 2021/31 vision).

Objective: No people are killed or seriously injured on the region’s transport system (RLTP 2021/31).

2.2 Proposed Bay of Plenty speed management principles

It is recommended that the Bay of Plenty RSMP principles align with the Waka Kotahi’s Road to Zero (RTZ) guiding principles for speed management. These are further outlined in Section 3.2.4.

2.3 Proposed measures

To align with the above principles as well as with the Road to Zero Strategy (as required by the Rule) the following measures are proposed:

· Percentage of Bay of Plenty Road network where speed limits align with Safe and Appropriate Speed

· Percentage of VKT on rural network that have a 3-star equivalent rating or better

· Mean speed of vehicles (by rural, urban and urban centres)

· Percentage of traffic travelling within speed limits (by rural, urban and urban centres)

· Percentage of high-risk roads in the Bay of Plenty covered by automated safety cameras

· Perceived safety of walking and cycling across the Bay of Plenty (by rural, urban, urban centres, & around schools)

· Number of DSI (death and serious injury) in the Bay of Plenty where the speed limit does not align with the Safe and Appropriate Speed

· Number of DSI crashes involving a vulnerable road user

National conversations are currently taking place around what the RSMP measures should be and how national and regional consistency can be achieved.

2.4 Road to Zero speed management principles:

The Waka Kotahi ‘Road to Zero’ programme guiding principles for speed management sum up key concepts that guide the speed management plan process and draw upon international and national best practice.

The four principles are designed to be applied together and complement each other. The Safe System approach to road safety, which Road to Zero is based on, promotes the understanding of systemic factors and opportunities across the whole transport system rather than at any one level or part.

2.5 The RTC’s role is to ensure regional consistency

The RTC’s role in the RSPM development process is to ensure a regional consistency in speed management is undertaken across the Bay of Plenty. This includes:

• Addressing any identified issues with speed limits at adjoining roads in the region’s network, with boundary roads at neighbouring regional networks, or with the state highway network.

• Taking a whole-of-network approach to speed management planning

• Integrating safe speeds around schools, safe speeds around marae, safety infrastructure, and safety cameras into speed management plans.

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

As the development of a RSMP is a requirement of most RTCs around the country, confusion and concerns regarding the implementation of the new Rule have been raised by many councils nationally. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council continues to work closely with the national Transport Special Interest Group (TSIG) to gain further clarity from Waka Kotahi and other associated parties.

3.2 Climate Change

The matters addressed in this report are of a procedural nature and there is no need to consider climate change impacts.

3.3 Implications for Māori

Engagement with Māori communities will form an essential part of the RSMP development and will require significant resource from both the RCAs as well as the Regional Council’s community engagement teams and / or external advisors.

3.4 Community Engagement

As noted in the report, community engagement will be required.

3.5 Alignment with Strategic Framework

Speed management aligns closely with the Safe and Healthy People transport priority set out in the 2021-31 Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). This encompasses the safety specific target of reducing Death and Serious Injuries (DSI) by 40% by 2030, including reducing DSIs with speed as a contributing factor below 2020 levels on a five-year rolling average.

3.6 Financial Implications

The endorsement of the principles set out in this report will not have financial implications.

However, it should be noted that as the implications of the new speed management rule were not known at the time of the adoption of the RLTP, Regional Speed Management does not have funding (although the activity is listed in the RLTP).

Regional Council transport network safety and iwi engagement resourcing requirements are currently being scoped by staff, noting that there is currently no specific budget available for these tasks.

4. Next Steps

Pending the RTC’s endorsement of the RSMP vision, objective, principles and measures outlined in Section 2 of this report, the next steps include:

o Each RCA developing and consulting on their local SMP independently during the calendar year 2023, in accordance with timeframes to be set by Waka Kotahi for each individual RCA (to be determined during February 2023).

o At the next RTC meetings in June and August 2023, provide the RTC with:

· A progress update on the RCA’s local SMP development and engagement

· A progress update on the Waka Kotahi draft State Highway Speed Management Plan.

· Further guidance on the RTC role in supporting iwi and Māori engagement, as required by the Rule.

o Determine a preliminary date for the local SMPs to be submitted to the RTC and for the draft BOP RSMP to be approved and sent for certification to the Director of Land Transport, as required by the Rule.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Developing a Regional Speed Management Plan (RSMP) for the Bay of Plenty ⇩



Report To:	Regional Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	9 March 2023
Report Writer:	Andrew Williams, Senior Transport Planner
Report Authoriser:	Michael Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To support the development of the Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34

Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development: Endorsement of the high-level strategic approach

Executive Summary

This paper:

· Confirms the high-level approach to developing the strategic framework of the RLTP 2024-34 based on the Regional Transport Committee (RTC) Briefing Papers provided at the briefing, 3 February 2023, and seeks endorsement of the same;

· Outlines the Investment Logic Map process that is underway and how it supports development of the RLTP 2024-34 investment story and strategic context;

· Notes the next steps in development of the RLTP 2024-34, and the release of key central government documentation, including the Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport; and

· Notes key project risks and associated mitigations, including alignment with local council Long Term Plans, for example Tauranga City and their Tauranga System Plan 2.0 work programme.

Recommendations

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development: Endorsement of the high-level strategic approach;

2 Endorses the high-level strategic approach within the Briefing Paper – Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development – Policy & Strategy Introduction – as provided to the Committee for the Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development – Initial Briefing held on 3 February 2023, and as outlined in Section 2;

3 Notes the development of the Investment Logic Map as a working draft and the next steps in the development of the Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34.

1. Background

The Regional Transport Committee (RTC) has commenced the process for preparing the Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 (RLTP). The RLTP has two key components:

1. A descriptive front-end which outlines the strategic context for land transport in the region and sets out the regional policy framework, including outlining the region’s transport vision, objectives, policies, priorities and implementation measures that will direct investment in the regional transport system; and

2. The regional programme of land transport activities which outlines the transport activities the region has identified and prioritised for inclusion in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) for subsequent national funding subsidy via the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF).

The current focus is on the first component of the RLTP 2021 – the strategic framework and context. To that end, staff led the RTC through an RLTP 2024-34 Briefing on 3 February 2023. The Briefing included two papers for discussion:

1. Briefing Paper 1: Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan – Overview & Development; and

2. Briefing Paper 2: Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development – Policy & Strategy Introduction.

Of most relevance, is Briefing Paper 2, which provided an overview of the changes in policy and strategy settings necessary to ensure the RLTP 2024-34 tells the right story.

2. Strategic development

The role of Briefing Paper 2 was to support development of the RLTP 2024-34 evidence base to ultimately influence drafting the document’s strategic context. The Briefing Paper – Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development – Policy & Strategy Introduction – made the following key points:

· The RLTP 2021-31 strategic context is built on government policy direction, notably the Ministry of Transport’s Outcomes Framework, Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS), and Waka Kotahi’s Transport Intervention Hierarchy. It is the intention of the Project Team to build the RLTP 2024-34 on similar foundations, but with inclusion of new and fundamental policy direction.

· There have been significant changes to government policy since the RLTP 2021-31 was adopted (June 2021). Significant changes, or documents, that will support development, include:

o The GPS 2024, due out early this year, will take into account recent government policy and update the land transport funding streams. The GPS’ indicated priorities currently include: an integrated freight system, safety, resilience, maintaining and operating the system, and sustainable urban development – supported by an overarching focus on emissions reduction.

o The release of the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) and associated targets, the Decarbonising Transport Action Plan (DTAP), and the requirement of vehicle kilometre travel (VKT) plans with a focus on Tier 1 (Tauranga) and Tier 2 (Rotorua) urban environments.

o The release of the National Adaptation Plan with a focus on climate resilience.

o The requirement for Regional Speed Management Plans.

· Understanding the ‘scale of change’ of policy settings between 2021 and 2023 is important to ensure the RLTP 2024-34 tells an aligned investment story.

· To support reflecting such change in the RLTP 2024-34, the Investment Logic Map (ILM), will require a review to ensure the weightings and wording of the problems, benefits and strategic responses are appropriate.

The RTC feedback, at the time of the Briefing, illustrated support of the abovementioned approach. Staff have taken on board the feedback to support further development of the RLTP 2024-34 strategy and this will be built into the document. The RTC will be provided with further opportunity to develop the front end of the document via a workshop and at its next scheduled meeting.

3. Investment Logic Mapping

A critical step to support developing the RLTP 2024-34 strategy was the completion of an Investment Logic Map (ILM).

The ILM process is one that was developed by the State Government of Victoria, Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) in 2003, to screen budget bids and strengthen thinking and decision-making around prioritisation and resource allocation within agencies and across government. It was formally introduced to New Zealand by the State Services Commission (SSC) in July 2008, following successful pilots by the Ministry of Health. It is being used increasingly by New Zealand Government agencies and is included in the New Zealand Treasury's guidelines for Public Sector business cases.

ILM is a technique to ensure that intelligent discussion and thinking is done up-front, before solutions are identified and before any investment decision is made. It is a technique utilised to ensure the 'story' about any proposed investment makes sense (the 'logic' part of ILM) and to test and confirm that the rationale for a proposed investment is evidence-based and sufficiently compelling to convince decision makers to commit to invest in further investigation and planning.

For the RLTP 2018-28 an ILM was undertaken, but for the RLTP 2021-31 the 2018-28 ILM was re-visited through an RTC workshop – it was not a formal process. Due to the time between undertaking a formal ILM, and particularly due to the scale of change between successive RLTPs, a formal ILM process was necessary. Subsequently, two facilitated ILM sessions were held, as follows:

1. Problem definition session: 8 February 2023. This session teased out the primary problem statements i.e., what are the land transport problems in the Bay of Plenty; and

2. Benefit measures session: 21 February 2023. This session tested the benefit measures while updating them and consideration of supporting key performance indicators (KPIs).

Each session was attended by a number of participants from across the Bay of Plenty, including key stakeholders, partners, interest group members, and the Chair and Deputy Chair of the RTC.

Since the completion of the ILM sessions, a working draft of the ILM has resulted, included at Appendix 1. The intention is to now finalise the ILM by including the measures. Subsequently, the ILM maps at Appendix 1 will become a consolidated one page ILM and once completed, will be put before the Committee.

Together, the strategic development considerations and the working draft ILM, will support staff in drafting the front-end of the RLTP 2024-34.

4. Considerations

4.1 Risks and Mitigations

Current key risks and mitigations include:

· Ensuring alignment with Tauranga City Council’s Transport System Plan 2.0 (or TSOF). Staff meet regularly with the TSP team and are working to ensure prioritisation processes are well aligned.

· Ensuring strategic alignment with key policy changes. This has been mitigated via a thorough review of relevant documentation and an ILM process to build change into the RLTP 2024-34 investment framework.

· Timing of key supporting documents being released from the Ministry of Transport, and Waka Kotahi. Indications are that contributing central government documents will be released later than expected and contingencies have been made in anticipation of this occurrence.

4.2 Climate Change

Mitigation			Adaptation
Reduce GHG emissions	Produce GHG emissions	Sequester carbon	Anticipate climate change impacts	Respond to climate change impacts
☒	☒	☐	☒	☒

The RLTP 2024-34 will play a significant role in both the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. The working draft ILM focused significantly on emissions as a problem. As staff draft the RLTP 2024-34 strategic context, significant efforts will be placed on supporting emissions reduction in line with government’s Emissions Reduction Plan. The Briefing Paper – Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 Development – Policy & Strategy Introduction – highlighted the importance of emissions and associated government policy.

4.3 Implications for Māori

It is vital that Regional Council engage with Māori effectively during the development of the RLTP 2024-34. Regional Council is well placed to actively engage with Māori and staff have built this into the communication and engagement plan.

4.4 Community Engagement

The ILM process included a number of representatives from the community. Consultation is scheduled for later this year, as highlighted by Figure 1, below.

4.5 Alignment with Strategic Framework

This item directly contributes to the Vibrant Region Community Outcome in the Council’s Long Term Plan 2021-2031.

4.6 Financial Implications

There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.

5. Next Steps

Figure 1 illustrates where the project is currently at – highlighted by the green box. A RTC workshop will likely be required in May to support development of the RLTP 2024-34, this is not yet factored into the below timeline. A workshop would likely consider the implications of the draft GPS and development of the strategic content: the vision, objectives, and policies to support the strategic front end.

Figure 1: RLTP 2024-34 development timeline

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Draft ILM ⇩

Attachment 2 - Draft Benefits Map ⇩



Report To:	Regional Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	9 March 2023
Report Writer:	Bron Healey, Principal Advisor, Transport
Report Authoriser:	Mike Seabourne, Director, Public Transport
Purpose:	To present the Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty Transport Emissions Projection Tool to the Committee

Transport Emissions Projection Tool

Executive Summary

A Transport Emissions Projection Tool (TEPT) has been developed to aid the Tauranga City Council’s (TCC) understanding of the potential for specific interventions or levers (e.g. travel demand management; increasing uptake of electric vehicles; improvements to the carbon efficiency of fuel, etc) needed to achieve emissions reduction targets, including those in the National Emissions Reduction Plan.

A report on the development of the TEPT was presented to the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee of the Tauranga City Council on 3 October 2022. The report covered in detail the national direction and local/sub-regional initiatives on emissions reduction. It also presented the TEPT and discussed three example scenarios to show the relative impact of various levers and their scale to achieve Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKT) and emissions targets.

The TCC report has been provided as an attachment to this report. Whilst that covers TEPT in detail, a few summary points in relation to that report are presented in this report to the RTC.

Report prepared by Waheed Ahmed/Alistair Talbot (TCC)

From a regional perspective, the TEPT adds to the range of analytical models available to better to understand the potential impact of different interventions to reduce transport emissions. While it has been designed to apply specifically to Tauranga and western Bay of Plenty sub-region, it provides additional sub-regional granularity to similar analytical tools such as Waka Kotahi’s Transport 2035 Emissions Calculator, which is being developed for national and regional applications.

Recommendations

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Transport Emissions Projection Tool.

1. Background

1.1 National direction

On 16 May 2022, the government published Te hau mārohi ki anamata – Towards a productive, sustainable and inclusive economy: Aotearoa New Zealand's first emissions reduction plan (“the ERP”). The ERP sets out the actions the government believes need to occur to meet the emissions budgets published in accordance with the Climate Change Response Act, and to contribute to global efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.

Transport is a key focus area of the ERP, and the government has identified three focus areas in their approach to reducing transport emissions:

· reduce reliance on cars and support people to walk, cycle and use public transport

· rapidly adopt low-emissions vehicles

· begin work now to decarbonise heavy transport and freight

1.2 Regional initiative

In September 2022 Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BoPRC) released the Tauranga Community Carbon Footprint (TCCF)[4]. BoPRC commissioned this report to assist in the development of community-scale greenhouse gas footprints for Tauranga for the 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21 financial years. In undertaking this work, BoPRC also recalculated the 2015/16 financial year greenhouse gas emission footprint.

As a brief summary, the TCCF report identifies:

· A broader range of transport emissions sources than those considered by the TEPT. By way of example, the TCCF considers emissions from marine freight, jet kerosene and aviation gas while the TEPT did not consider these emission sources (it focusses on emissions from land transport).

· Transport as the largest source of emissions in Tauranga.

· In Tauranga between 2015/16 and 2020/21 total gross emissions growth (22%) has matched population growth (23%) resulting in a 1% increase in total emissions per capita.

· Of the change in emissions between 2015/16 and 2020/21, transport emissions increased by 33%. This was driven by a 50% increase in marine freight emissions and a 21% increase in on-road fuel emissions.

1.3 Sub-regional/local direction

The Urban Form & Transport Initiative (UFTI) and the Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan (TSP), which preceded the ERP, has established targets for reduced transport emissions. This is focussed on reducing CO2 per person per day and is set out below.

Table 1: UFTI & TSP –Key Performance Indicator: CO2 Emissions

Key Performance Indicator	Source	Baseline	Target (2030)	Target (2050)
Tonnes of harmful emissions emitted per year from transport	TTM Transport Model	7.1 kg of CO2 per person per day	5.5 kg of CO2 per person per day	2048 2.1kg of CO2 per person per day

The development of UFTI involved considering a range of urban form outcomes including VKT and emissions. This work identified that when providing for projected growth all of the urban form options led to increased VKT and CO2 emissions.

Analysis of the final agreed UFTI “Connected Centres” 2048 programme identified a projected 50% increase in VKT and 58% reduction in emissions in the longer term associated with the projected population increase from 2018. At the time of developing UFTI, which preceded the draft ERP, VKT reduction was not a target / key performance indicator, broader mode shift / share targets were the focus.

2. Transport Emissions Reduction Tool

The purpose of TEPT is to provide the Council with the ability to forecast transport emissions within the WBoP to 2050 under various scenarios and assist in identifying pathways to 'net zero' including identifying possible avenues to achieve the transport targets in the ERP. It can also be used as way for Council to identify the opportunities that will have the most significance in influencing emissions to achieving the national target.

The TEPT includes the following variables that can be changed to understand their impact on emissions:

· Working from home – impacts private car and bus vehicle kilometres travelled.

· Car occupancy – ability to change the average occupancy of a private car.

· Modal shift – ability to change the percentage of people travelling by private car, light commercial vehicle (LCV), bus, bicycle/micro mobility or walking.

· Low carbon vehicles – the fleet make-up; a shift from diesel to electric or hydrogen buses and M/HCVs; a shift from petrol or diesel to hybrid or electric LCVs or cars.

· Biofuel mandate – The ERP committed to a 10% reduction in fuel carbon intensity (i.e., more biofuel blend) by 2035 from current levels. This is likely to be through a larger percentage of biofuel in forecourt fuel supplies, therefore applies to private cars, LCV and large fleet such as a buses and freight vehicles with internal combustion engines.

· Shift from road to rail – impacts percentage of total kilometres travelled by road or rail freight.

· Freight whole journey calculator – the primary function of the TEPT is to consider movement within WBoP, however this secondary function provides an ability to understand the wider benefits in moving freight from road to rail/sea (i.e. as any shift would occur from the point of origin so there will be VKT and emissions benefits outside of the boundary of the WBoP.

· 2030, 2035 and 2050 editable years.

The variables excluded from the TEPT are:

· Granularity in vehicle types for private car low carbon vehicles (i.e. plug in hybrids, diesel hybrids).

· Visibility of annual emissions (rather 2030; 2035 and 2050 points in time are provided for).

· Project specific variables (a TSP programme approach is taken).

· Average fuel efficiency of vehicles.

· A network pricing lever. It is however noted that this can be added to the TEPT and the findings of the ‘proof of concept’ Dynamic Pricing Study’ will provide inputs to add this function.

· Ability to change the core TSP assumptions.

2.1 TEPT Scenario Examples

The following three example scenarios are provided to show the relative impact of various levers and their scale to achieve the VKT and emissions targets. The three scenarios are:

· A travel demand management focus ‘Work from home’

· The Work from home scenario plus ‘mode shift’

· The work from home and mode shift scenario plus vehicle efficiency

The table below summarises the options, impacts and ability to influence at the 2035 timepoint:

Table 2: summary of TEPT scenario examples

	2018	Scenario A	Scenario B	Scenario C	Council ability to influence	Government ability to influence
Work From Home (WFH)		√	√	√	Medium	Low
Mode shift (MS)			√	√	High	High
Fuel Efficiency				√	Low	High
Improved vehicle technology (e.g. EV; Hybrid)				√	Low	High
VKT (millions)	2,200	2,782	2,215	2,215
Emissions	909,000	1,038,000	934,000	564,000
Emissions per capita (tCO2e)*	5.0	4.5	4	2.5
Change emissions per capita (tCO2e)		-0.5	-1.0	-2.5
		-10%	-20%	-50%

* Estimate based on assumed population growth between available forecast year

The following is a summary of observations from Scenarios A, B and C:

· Investigations undertaken for UFTI identifies that the different urban form options that provide for the projected growth have similar increased VKT and emissions impacts to each other.

· Working from home has a very limited impact on VKT and emissions reduction.

· Considerable mode shift (e.g. including 15% bus kilometres travelled from a baseline of 1.3% in 2018) is required to achieve the VKT target by 2035 but this has limited impact on projected emissions.

· Improved technology (e.g. electric vehicle uptake; improved fuel efficiency) supports a considerable reduction in emissions (significantly more than working from home and mode shift.

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

The TCC report in Appendix 1 includes consideration of risks.

3.2 Climate Change

The TEPT provides an important information base to support planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

3.3 Implications for Māori

Many Bay of Plenty iwi and hapū include climate change outcomes and considerations as key components of their environmental plans. As above, the TEPT contributes to the wider information base available to support planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

3.4 Community Engagement

The TCC report in Attachment 1 summarises the engagement undertaken in development of the TEPT.

3.5 Alignment with Strategic Framework

The TEPT provides analysis to contribute to achieving Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 Objective 4 (Environmental Sustainability) - the environmental effects, including emissions, arising from use of the transport system are minimised.

3.6 Financial Implications

There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.

The report has been provided for information purposes only.

4. Next Steps

The TEPT provides an important information base to support ongoing planning processes like the refresh of the TSP and the development of Tauranga City Council’s Climate Plan. It can also aid ongoing engagement with Government (e.g. Waka Kotahi) to help articulate the scale of the challenge that Tauranga and the wider western BoP faces in achieving the ERP.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Tauranga City Council Report - Transport Emissions Projection Tool ⇩



Report To:	Regional Transport Committee
Meeting Date:	9 March 2023
Report Writer:	Amanda Namana, Committee Advisor
Report Authoriser:	Yvonne Tatton, Governance Manager
Purpose:	To appoint a new Freight Advisor to the Committee and reconfirm the appointments of all other External Advisors.

Appointment of a Freight Advisor and Confirmation of External Advisors

Executive Summary

The decision-making functions assigned to the Regional Transport Committee (RTC) are provided for in the terms of reference, which allow the RTC to appoint external advisors to assist with Committee business. The report recommends that the Committee appoints a new freight advisor to fill the current vacancy and confirms the four existing advisors in their roles.

Recommendations

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1 Receives the report, Appointment of a Freight Advisor and Confirmation of External Advisors;

2 Appoints Greg Pert as the Freight Advisor to the Regional Transport Committee;

3 Confirms Dan Kneebone as the Port Advisor to the Regional Transport Committee;

4 Confirms Glen Crowther as the Environmental Sustainability Advisor to the Committee;

5 Confirms Inspector Stuart Nightingale as the Road Safety Advisor to the Regional Transport Committee;

6 Confirms Stacey Spall as the NZ Automobile Association Advisor to the Regional Transport Committee.

1. Background

In common with several other regions, the Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee Terms of Reference enable the Committee to appoint external advisors to provide advice on the matters before it^{^[5]}. Over the past three trienniums, the RTC has made decisions to appoint five external advisors: Road Safety, Freight, Port of Tauranga, Environmental Sustainability and NZ Automobile Association.

2. External Advisors

2.1 Reconfirming existing advisors to the RTC

Past experience has shown that having external advisors who are able to provide significant technical knowledge and different perspectives has added value to RTC discussions. As noted in the terms of reference, external advisors are given speaking rights at the discretion of the Committee Chair, but are not entitled to vote on Committee matters. On the basis of previous experience, the recommendation in the report is that the four existing external advisors to the Committee are re-confirmed in their roles.

2.2 Appointment of a new Freight Advisor

In addition, the role of Freight Advisor to the RTC has recently become vacant after the resignation of John Galbraith. Due to his changing work responsibilities, John has now resigned from this role and a vacancy now exists for a new Freight Advisor to be appointed.

In the past the role of the freight advisor has been to provide direct customer insight regarding the freight task in the Bay of Plenty and Upper North Island, including:

· Supply chain disruptions: Freight operators have been facing significant supply chain disruptions due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and geopolitical tensions. These disruptions can result in delays, capacity constraints, and increased costs;

· Rising fuel costs: The cost of fuel is a major expense for freight operators, and fluctuations in fuel prices can have a significant impact on their profitability;

· Shortage of qualified drivers: Many freight operators are struggling to find and retain qualified drivers, which can lead to capacity constraints and higher costs (a similar issue facing Passenger Transport);

· Regulatory compliance: Freight operators must comply with a wide range of regulations and requirements, including safety standards, environmental regulations, and customs regulations. Non-compliance can result in fines and other penalties;

· Technological disruptions: Freight operators are facing increasing pressure to adopt new technologies such as automation, digitalization, and blockchain, which can require significant investment and changes to their operations;

· Security threats: Freight operators are also facing security threats such as cargo theft, cyber-attacks, and terrorism, which can have serious consequences for their operations and reputation;

· Environmental concerns: Freight operators are under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, which can require significant investments in new technologies and practices. This includes reducing emissions and reducing waste in the supply chain.

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting NZ expressed an interest in appointing a representative as a Freight Advisor to the RTC and has nominated Greg Pert – Tranzliquid Logistics Ltd Director as the preferred candidate.

3. Considerations

3.1 Risks and Mitigations

There are no significant risks associated with this matter.

3.2 Climate Change

The matters addressed in this report are of a procedural nature and there is no need to consider climate change impacts.

3.3 Implications for Māori

The matters addressed in this report are of a procedural nature only.

3.4 Community Engagement

Engagement with the community is not required as the recommended proposal / decision [relates to internal Council matters only].

Engagement with the community is not required as the recommended proposal / decision relates to internal Council matters only.

3.5 Alignment with Strategic Framework

A Vibrant Region	We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system.
The Way We Work	We look to partnerships for best outcomes.

The Freight Advisor position assists coordination, integration and adoption of regional transport and land-use strategies and plans, as outlined in the Terms of Reference.

3.6 Financial Implications

There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.

4. Next Steps

Once the appointments have been approved the various appointees will be notified.

[1] Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Mega Maps Online Risk Assessment Tool

[4] As part of the wider Bay of Plenty Community Carbon Footprint (2022), which covers all territorial authorities in the region.